Surrey council rejects controversial resort casino

Residents opposed to a proposed casino project in south Surrey don anti-casino signs before a public hearing at city hall.Ian Lindsay
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A person opposed carries a sign at the council hearing at City Hall into the proposed South Surrey Casino and entertainment complex project Monday, January 14, 2013 in Surrey, B.C.Ian Lindsay
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The audience and speakers lined up along the wall for the public hearing at City Hall into the proposed South Surrey Casino and Entertainment project Monday, January 14, 2013 in Surrey, B.C.Ian Lindsay
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Surrey residents line up to get the opportunity to speak in opposition to the proposed South Surrey Casino project at this evening's public hearing at City Hall Monday, January 14, 2013 in Surrey, B.C. Behind them on the other side of the room people line up to speak in favour. Each person is issued a nmbered card and council will hear from pro and con sides in turn during the meeting.Ian Lindsay
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Mayor Dianne Watts defended Surrey council’s rejection of a proposed $100-million casino, saying while the hotel and conference centre offered in the proposal were desperately needed, citizens overwhelmingly felt the rural south Surrey neighbourhood was the wrong fit.

Despite vocal criticism from Rich Coleman, the provincial cabinet minister in charge of gambling, Watts said council’s rejection, a 5-4 vote at 2 a.m. Saturday after a second lengthy public hearing, respected the democratic process.

“I know he clearly is disappointed,” Watts said Sunday evening. “I think that the process did work and it’s about what we want in our city and how we develop it. We have to live in the city of Surrey, all of us.

“And we’re elected by the residents of Surrey, you have to take that voice into consideration.”

Coleman, who wasn’t available for comment Sunday, told reporters over the weekend he was disappointed and won’t be looking to other parts of Surrey for the project proposed by Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Ltd. and the B.C. Lottery Corp.

Gateway had sought to move the temporary gambling licence it has for the Newton Bingo Country casino on King George Boulevard to the new facility.

But many residents were worried that the casino would be built first, then used to finance later construction of the hotel and conference centre, Watts said.

“When we approved the slots at Fraser Downs and the racetrack, that was the commitment, that we would have convention space and a hotel, which 10 years later we’re still waiting for,” Watts said.

Jim Lightbody, a senior executive of the B.C. Lottery Corp., insisted Gateway would have had to carry through on all parts of the development or face penalties.

Coun. Judy Villeneuve suggested Gateway partner with Fraser Downs Racetrack and casino to build a hotel and conference centre in nearby Cloverdale, noting that part of Surrey has the infrastructure in place to service such a development.

The south Surrey proposal required city approval before a gambling licence could be issued, and the public meetings drew close to 200 speakers and ran over two nights.

The decision followed a seven-hour hearing Friday night, during which most supporters said the project would create local jobs and bring high-end entertainment to the city, while most opponents said it would increase traffic and crime, and hurt their property values.

Some 74 south Surrey residents — many of them students — opposed the casino, while 112 speakers, many of them Gateway workers bused to the hearing, spoke in favour.

Lightbody had urged the city to approve the license, saying he believes the project would serve the needs of south Surrey.

He noted gambling is the fifth most popular choice for entertainment among adults, behind restaurants, bars, movie theatres and live entertainment. The project, Lightbody said, has four of those choices.

“What you have is all about choice,” he said.

Surrey stood to gain $3 million in annual revenue if the casino approved, a figure that Steele said “was nothing to sneeze at.” She argued the hotel, convention centre and entertainment complex were desperately needed.

Gill agreed: “We need to build this city, we need these amenities.”

But south Surrey residents argued the project should be in an industrial area and not on land that is home to all sorts of wildlife and a fish-bearing stream.

Semiahmoo high school student Jordana Peters, armed with a 144-signature petition, urged council to reject the proposal, saying “you don’t represent Gateway, you represent your constituents.

“Do not alienate us by giving us a development we don’t need or want,” she said.

Earlier in the night, South Surrey resident Phil Embley questioned why the B.C. Lottery Corp. was involved in advocating for the proposal, even speaking on the Yes side.

“The regulator should not be the cheerleader,” Embley said. “This is the most controversial application council has ever dealt with.... But it’s the citizens against the outsiders.”

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